The Enigma of the Games
by SilverflowerXRavenpaw
Summary: I totally forgot to write a tribute that got submitted to me, so now I'm giving her her own story. This is the tale of Enigma Fenn and her Games. Rated T because I always rate Hunger Games stories T.
1. Chapter 1

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

* * *

 _Six Years Ago_

* * *

"Enigma, will you come downstairs? I need to see how this dress will fit on Anastasia," I said to myself, closing my window and starting to head downstairs. It was Monday. Mom hadn't tried to sew anything for Anastasia in weeks. She had last picked out a blue cloth, Anastasia's favorite color. It was only a matter of time until she was the one speaking rather than I.

"Enigma? Will you come downstairs? I need you to model Anastasia's dress," my mom said. I decided my guess was close enough. I didn't have to be perfect just yet, but I would try to be closer next time.

"I'm already here, Mom." I stepped into our living room, taking the dress from Sherry. I knew the dress wouldn't fit me right, and I knew Anastasia would never wear it. She didn't exist, after all. I was just humoring my mother, like I always did. If I didn't, she would get mad and tell me to stop training. If I did, she would wake up from her dream just a little bit, and she would encourage me. It was a game I always played, even though Sherry didn't know she did.

Sure enough, the blue dress was just a bit too big for me. Anastasia was supposedly a bit smaller than I was, so it didn't fit her, either. It hugged my waist nicely, but it was too long to be wearable, and it was a little loose up top. Plenty of kids my age wouldn't have a hard time wearing it. I was short, so other kids would be fine in it, but Anastasia was shorter than I. _Oh dear. That doesn't fit you at all. I guess I'll have to sell this one to someone else. Go back to your training, all right? I'll make a new one._

"Hm. That one doesn't fit you at all. I'll just sell it and make another. Go back to your training." _Dang. Even farther off than last time. She's going to take it and put it on the second shelf. She's not actually going to sell it, she likes Anastasia too much. But she will get to work on another right away._ I knew my mom well enough to know what she was going to do most of the time. I knew just about any person well enough to have a good guess, but that was one of the skills I was training. I was best with my mother, but every kid knows their mother better than everyone else.

Sherry put the dress on the second shelf, no price tag on it, and pulled out another piece of cloth. I went upstairs. I was training harder than my mother could ever hope to know. She knew most things about me as well as I knew most things about her, but she thought I was just a dumb kid, training because "everyone's doing it!" She didn't know that I was a smart kid, training because we could use the money the Games would get us. We were a well-off family, but not as well-off as we wanted to be. If I wanted to become a total genius, find a cure for schizophrenia, and make sure it was free to everyone who needed it, I would need a lot more money than we had.

 _So I'm going to win this, Mom. I'm going to win it for you._

* * *

 **Quick context: I told someone I would write their tribute in my story and promptly forgot about them. CTTS &ROTH will be my last SYOT for at least a while (aka possibly forever), so she's getting her own story now.**


	2. Train Ride

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I didn't like Extravagance the second I stepped onto the train. I could tell from the moment I saw her that she was going to be surprised by me. _Oh!_ You're _the volunteer this year? But you're so little! Normally they choose the adults._ I could see it in her eyes that she was about to say that. People were so predictable. I hoped Satin would step in for her, just so I wouldn't have to be mentored by someone who wouldn't take me seriously. I needed someone who would nurture my strengths, not condescend on them.

"The volunteer this year is a kiddo? That's weird. Normally they choose adults. What makes you so special?" Extravagance asked when I sat down. I was amazed. My guesses were almost never that far off. She wasn't surprised. She wasn't in awe. She was just intrigued. I figured my guess was a bit biased, and I shouldn't really be surprised that a trained Career - a _Victor,_ I reminded myself - wouldn't be as totally predictable as some people.

"I'm really good at reading people. Some people have said it's exceptional. I always knew which people were going to say that. It radiated off of them in waves. I guess One figured I could make sure the male won, since just knowing what people do isn't always enough to win the Games, and I never showed them my other skills. They don't even know that I have any," I replied. Extravagance was professionally interested in what I had to say. I could see the gears grinding in her head as she was thinking up a plan so that I would win. _Join the Careers. Betray them. You'll be all right,_ was the most normal response. Almost everyone said that. Extravagance wasn't going to, but I wasn't going to risk losing my confidence by guessing at a loose cannon.

"All right then. That gives you two options. You can either be a Career and win, despite being a kiddo, or you can not. Spit in the face of the Academy, since you clearly don't like them, and join an outlier or be a loner. You could tear apart the Arena, you know." _Bingo._

"I thought about that. It's been a given for a while that Careers end up in the Pack, but I'm really a special case. Tiger's made it very clear that he wasn't interested in having me as an ally - both verbally and physically, he's a totally open book - and the other Careers will, more likely than not, not be interested in such a young ally. If they do keep me around, they're only going to keep me alive until the sponsors run out, or until they decide they've gotten enough gifts, and even a genius can't fight off five fully-trained Careers." I'd thought about that time and time again. Of course, I had back-up plans. Even in the District, I had known that Tiger didn't like me. He didn't like how much of a show-off I, admittedly, could be. He didn't like that I was more famous than he was. He didn't like that I always outperformed him in intelligence tests. Mostly, though, he didn't like that he thought I'd be a dead weight despite all that.

"That's all true. Which means it's pretty clear that you shouldn't be a Career. Throw them way off course, because they're planning on you being a casualty of the split. Help an outlier with all of their special secrets, and send them to their death. You won't have a problem knowing who you can manipulate." I had been so concentrated on planning that I had hardly tried to guess at what Extravagance was going to say. Planning was distracting me. I would have to do it all before I got into the Games.

"That won't work. If I don't become a Career, Tiger will let everyone know not to ally with me. He'll tell them I'm an unpredictable brat, or he'll threaten to kill them first if they do. Trust me, I know the guy like he knows himself. I'm either a Career or a loner, unless I can find someone who just wants to screw over the Careers... So I'm definitely a loner. But the Careers don't have to know that," I said, the plan all coming together in my head. I'd have a big fight to prove myself after Tiger tried to get the other Careers not to accept me. They'd end up trusting me more than they trusted him. I'd get information, and I'd know everything that was true and anything that wasn't. It wouldn't be hard to tell when you had skills like mine.

"Now that's an interesting new development. You're gonna be a double agent. I like it," Extravagance said. She didn't seem just professionally interested anymore. She seemed impressed, and honestly so. I liked that. She wasn't surprised. She was just pleased with what I could do.

"And then the Careers won't bother to threaten anyone who tries to ally with me, because they won't know any better. This all actually makes perfect sense!" I hardly recognized the emotion I was feeling as I said that. I was looking forward to the Games, and a bit of electricity seemed to be in my stomach. I hadn't felt that feeling since I was still a kid, not an adult in a child's body. Having a schizophrenic mother made me grow out of most of my emotions, to the point where it took me a few seconds to realize that, for the first time in years, I was excited.

* * *

 **So it turns out that Enigma is really easy for me to write. I should have just accepted her into a story instead of forgetting about her xD**


	3. Parade Time

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

This wasn't the end of the world. My Parade outfit was more or less what I had expected. I hoped my skills weren't fading, but I figured it was mostly because Capitolites really weren't predictable. Normal people had patterns. Normal people had tells. Capitolites were wild, flamboyant people that did whatever they wanted. It was like they wanted to throw me off and drive me insane. I couldn't take them, but I could easily handle my dress. It was really a toga, and unlike everything else in the Capitol, _it made sense._

Tiger was wearing the same thing main outfit as I was, that being a toga, but the similarities ended there. His toga was stylized to make him look hot, but even the Capitol seemed to feel bad sexualizing a child. I was glad that was one of my guesses that had been correct, since I wouldn't have wanted to go out in front of all the people in the crowd wearing as little as Tiger was. My toga went past my knees and didn't hug my figure too tightly, and my gold dusting made me look like a fairy instead of accenting my muscles. My bracelets hung lightly off my thin wrists, while Tiger was wearing gold leaves on his biceps, and my circlet gave me an air of wisdom, while Tiger's crown made him look like a power-hungry maniac. It fit him perfectly, and my outfit fit my image perfectly.

There was one thing about my outfit that didn't work, though. I was confident. My outfit made it look like I could be a shy kid, hiding under makeup and clothing, but I wasn't going to do that. My stance was easily as proud as Tiger's. I was right where I belonged, after all. I was one of the best of the best, getting the shot I had earned to prove myself to the entire world. I wouldn't let my age get in the way of how the Capitol saw me. I would stare down everyone I saw in the crowd, determined to be seen as the warrior I was, not the princess my outfit portrayed me as.

Cheers erupted as we came into the crowd. I knew that was coming. It wasn't a guess. Guesses were made on variables. People cheering to the point where you thought your eardrums could erupt was a fact of life for a tribute that was being flaunted to the Capitol. True to my intent, I stared down the Capitolites that saw me, impressed at how stoic I looked on the television screen. I looked like exactly what I was: Enigma Fenn, most likely Victor of the next Hunger Games. Nobody expected it to happen but me. Tiger wouldn't really bother stopping me. The only thing that could stop me was myself.

I noticed a certain person in the crowd that was standing alone, seeming sad. I recognized her as Icy, I thought, from Mahi's Games. I didn't know anything about her, but I knew Four's fling from One's magazines. She saw me and threw me a rose, which was neat. I had to wonder what was cool enough about my outfit to earn a token of appreciation. I didn't think it was particularly cool, so I had to decide it was just a Capitol thing. It was either that or my stance, but every Career looked off above the crowd. None of us wanted to be taken lightly.

Most people that we passed threw us roses, and I figured it was because of Tiger. He was flexing his muscles slightly, enough that they bulged more than they should have but he didn't look strained. I wasn't surprised. That was a very Tiger thing to do. I also knew that the Capitol would probably love Tiger, because he was a good Career. He was fierce. He was brutal. He wouldn't attack people by breaking their brain into bits until he knew them better than they knew themselves. He would just kill them. He was perfect for the Capitol.

"We love Enigma!" someone yelled. That was another of the things I hadn't expected of the Capitol. I didn't stick out. I was some kid that wasn't going to be stopped by the Games. I was fighting tooth and claw to stick out and not be underestimated, despite my better knowledge that being underestimated was a weapon, but I hadn't really thought anyone Tiger hadn't yelled at would _notice_ that fighting enough to actually remember my name.

 _Screw it._ "Love you too!" I yelled back. It couldn't hurt much. Nobody who hadn't noticed me yet wouldn't notice that I dropped my composure, and anyone who had noticed me said that they loved me. I was going to have some fun before I started killing people. I wasn't going to be total idiot in the Parade, like some people behind me who almost fell off their chariot, but I was going to enjoy myself.

"That was something," I said to Extravagance once I had gotten off the chariot and undressed. I was thrilled. I was feeling yet another long-lost, fun emotion. The Parade was way more fun once I had stopped being so cocky. People loved it when I actually responded, and people really smiled at me. Nobody smiled when I volunteered. My mother just didn't smile. Lilly learned to stop smiling when she realized that Mom wouldn't smile back. But here in the Capitol, people _smiled._ They unabashedly showed their emotions, regardless of it could be a weakness. They were a whole different breed.

* * *

 **I skipped the Parade prep chapter because how lame would a one-person Parade prep chapter be? Anyways, here you go. Hope you like my totally-not-length based Parade.**


	4. Enigma's Training

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

"So, am I in or out?" I asked the Careers unceremoniously. Some of them weren't totally sure how they felt about me, but most of them knew that Tiger was a bigger ally than I was, so they were going to reject me. I was just asking to make it clear that I didn't ditch the Careers - they ditched me - and as such, I could kill them shamelessly, whereas it would be frowned upon for them to hunt me down.

"Sorry, but I think you're out," Pumice, the Two male said. It wasn't hard to tell that Tiger had been nagging them to reject me, and that they accepted his complaints. It was no matter. I was more likely to get tons of sponsors on my own, since I was a cute little genius. My hope was that their curiosity would overtake them and convince them that I was worth throwing away money on. After all, I had been showing off my whole time in the Capitol.

That being said, there wasn't much of a point in me allying. It wasn't strategic, because any outlier strong enough to be of use would be smart enough to reject me, and useless allies, fun though they may be, would make me less likely to get sponsors from the curious side of Panem, and the cute side of Panem, if I wasted them. That meant I was going the Games alone, which would drastically change my training strategy from if I had been a Careers. Careers showed off all but two strengths in training as a pattern. I couldn't do that if I wasn't a Career; it was all or nothing, and I was going for nothing.

Knowing my strengths, I wanted all of my sponsor gifts to help me kill people. It would be harder to fashion a murder weapon than find myself a bit of food, and I could go for weeks without food if I really had to. Water and food would be what I trained in, so people wouldn't expect me to do things myself, and sponsors would give me stuff. I also had to choose something I absolutely stank at, which was survival skills. I had never bothered to learn those, sticking with manipulation and killing. Now I would be totally underestimated as the cocky Career that had no idea what she was doing.

"What plant is this?" I asked the trainer shyly. I had to keep my act up at all times, in case anyone was watching. If I dropped my guard and got caught, everything fell to pieces, and suddenly I was being overestimated without knowing it. That was never a good thing. Of course, I was going to overestimate my opponents no matter what, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Oh! That's a honeydew flower. You can't eat those - or, I should say, they won't do you much good - but they're a good notifier that honeydew may be nearby! What brings you to the plant station?" the trainer replied, surprisingly interested in me. _I'm nothing special,_ I willed her to believe. She couldn't go drawing attention to me.

"I need to know a lot of plants, since the Careers rejected me," I said calmly. I considered crying for a second, but I didn't need the Capitolites to think I was weak, only the tributes. She looked at me pitifully and nodded.

"All right, you definitely will. Well, this is milkweed. It's good to know that you can eat it, although most tributes won't. You have to boil it twice before you eat it, which is why. Most people assume it's inedible because of that, or they decide it's not worth the effort of preparing. It's also a bit risky, because you might alert other tributes of your position. Still, it's good to eat something so your strength doesn't drop. Choose the lesser of two evils," my trainer said, seeming very knowledgeable about her subject. She held herself confidently and never missed a beat.

As my trainer spoke, I realized that this was definitely my forte. I had spent all my life training to recognize patterns of speech and motion in people, wanting to be able to spot any illnesses early and use other people to my gain. The same thing could work with plants. I could spot the tiniest speck of motion in an eye, but now I had to watch for a pointy instead of curved leaf. I would notice if someone started speaking more quietly than they used to, and I could notice if one plant was bigger than it should be. My strengths were tying into my weaknesses, and I could use that. I was actually learning.

* * *

 **I didn't forget Enigma! She's still kicking.**

 **I feel like edible plants weren't supposed to be quite this easy for her, since they're like her main weakness (she's a Career, after all), but it's so logical that I decided to do it. She won't be this good at water, I guess. I'll throw something in there to mess her up somewhere.**

 **If I asked you readers to, would you sponsor Enigma? I'd have to see where it went, but then I could see what you want her to work with and where you want her story to go, and with only like four of you, you may as well get that chance.**


	5. Private Sessions

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

It was time. It was finally time for me to show off my skills to a group of people specifically trained to know exactly what they were doing, analyzing my every pro and con and telling me, on a scale of one to twelve, how much I was worth. I was about to hit a turning point in my Games, and as such, in the rest of my life, and for one of the first times, I was questioning myself. Should I get a ten? I could probably get pretty high if I tried. Or should I get a three? It would definitely play up the weak little wuss trope. But would sponsors be more likely to sponsor a strong kiddo, who definitely showed potential, or a weak kiddo? I couldn't analyze an entire District at once. I could only analyze individuals.

 _Screw it._ I was going to show off. Sponsors would probably like that, the Careers knew I was tough, and the outer-District kids would have absolutely no idea what to expect from me. A tiny little kid who absolutely stank in training getting a nine? It would make them stop believing in the system. They would question everyone's score, and I would successfully top the system. I didn't have anything in particular against the system, but I did like reading reactions, and that would cause some strong reactions.

I went into the private sessions second, which was great. Of course, I hated being after Tiger. He got the first impression; he got to set the bar. The thing was, I knew I could outdo him. More importantly, I knew I could probably outdo just about everyone else. I could go in there while the Gamemakers were still alert, blow them away, and then all of the other tributes would be compared to me, while the Gamemakers were quickly losing interest and getting drunk. It was perfect for me. It would make my score higher and everyone else's lower.

"Enigma Fenn, please come into the Private Session Room," the loudspeaker called. I went in, greeted by Draco Stilleto and a bunch of other Gamemakers I didn't know. I took a bow when I reached the center of the room, then went over to the throwing knives station, watching the Gamemakers carefully.

"Draco. You're enjoying the feast greatly. That makes sense, because you get to order all of the food. The head Gamemaker plans just about everything that goes on in these sessions. You couldn't have planned the woman in pink's - sorry, I don't know your name, but that isn't really upsetting you - makeout session just before this, but seeing as you were totally unaware of it, I'm guessing you don't really mind," I said, throwing knives into the target squarely. I knew how to aim then make eye contact while still hitting the target. I just held my hand steady, but the Gamemakers didn't necessarily notice.

"You, sir, in the purple, hate this feast. You're a vegetarian; why did Draco order so much meat? He knows you. You're one of his right-hand men. But he clearly doesn't have that much respect for you. He can't even hold it in that he finds this hilarious. And you're steaming, because a real friend would care," I continued, missing the bullseye but still cleanly hitting the target. It wasn't perfectly centered, but that would still take a person down.

"Blue madame in the lovely dress, you were thinking that dress was hideous. You thought wrong. Your husband still loves you, by the way, and you're still a great person," I finished. I bluffed almost everything I guessed. The Gamemakers definitely didn't seem to notice. They looked totally awestruck at how well I had guessed, while I was guessing moods and opinions. I just rolled with each guess off of facial expressions.

I ended up getting a nine, which seemed good to me. Tiger got a nine, too, which ticked me off. I could tell it ticked him off, too. Still, I tied for the highest score of any tribute that year, and it was easy to read the shock on everyone's face. People thought they had done well, yet a thirteen-year-old beat them. I almost felt sorry for them. It wasn't their fault that the Gamemakers were flawed.

* * *

 **Hey yo, anyone want to send in some tributes here? Just like a name and a line of personality. They're gonna lose (it says so on the title) but I don't feel like making twenty-two more names or personalities. #Lazy**


	6. Interview

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I was the first one to be interviewed. What had been my advantage in the past would be my advantage again, except this time, I didn't want it. I wanted to be the last one to interview, so I could go out with a bang. Still, I had to accept the privilege that had been given to me. Most tributes could expect a somewhat bored audience after the Capitol had been watching for a long half an hour. I got a fresh new crowd.

When Marcelene had settled onto the stage, I was called on. I walked seriously onto the stage, keeping my face stern. This angle did not go with my plan so far, but I hoped the other tributes would dismiss it as silly. Otherwise, my acting was all for nothing. I swished the peacock feather fringed skirt of my dress dramatically as I sat down, noting where the top sat. It was a sleeveless dress, so the Capitol was expecting my body to hold it up. I was tiny, so that wasn't going to happen.

"Hello, Enigma!" Marcelene greeted me brightly. I knew her pattern. She was probably the person I knew best. She was bright to each tribute at first, then after the first sentence you said, she checked herself. She would get coarse or nice depending on how much she liked you. It was unprofessional, but not enough that Ginger bothered to care. "You've made quite a name for yourself, being such a young volunteer. How does your age make you feel about your chances?"

I scanned her. I wanted her to like me, because if she did, the Capitol would. She had a lot of influence. "I don't think it matters too much. The Games aren't won by brute strength, which I admittedly lack. They're won by strategy as well. And I have plenty of that."

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in sharing your strategy," Marcelene replied, a bit snappishly. I checked myself before continuing.

"Well, I _am_ a Career. I'm young, yes, but I've learned how to strategize. I can't really say much without knowing what the Arena is, but when I know what it is, I'll be the one that's able to use every inch of it to my advantage. I'll learn as much as I can about it, and then it'll help me more than it can hurt me," I replied, trying to make myself seem strong without hurting Marcelene's image of me. She softened slightly, and I hoped she didn't think I was just being cocky.

"That sounds pretty interesting. Do you think you'll have a harder time killing than some of the other Careers?"

"Physically, yes, I probably will. I just can't throw as far or hit as hard as they can. Mentally, I know I won't. I'll get creative with how I kill, and then I'll execute my plans. I understand the value of human life, but I can choose not to acknowledge it." That was a question I had planned for, regardless of Marcelene's response. I needed to establish myself to the Pack.

"Okay. Now that we're done with those quite necessary questions, what made you decide to volunteer?"

"Hm... A little bit of a lot of things. I wanted to prove to myself that I could really strategize, and that I wasn't a weakling just because I was young. However, it was also because I could use some money if I win. My mom's a schizophrenic, and I want to research how to make her better. I can't really do that without a lot of money. I'm not poor, but I can't support a lab." I watched Marcelene's response to that carefully, and I could see how carefully she was weighing her response. Part of her thought I was using a sob story, while part thought I was being honest. I could see the prior slowly winning, so I continued, "It was never too much of a problem for me. She could take care of me and my sister just fine, and we could support ourselves. It just hurt to watch her keep sewing dresses for people that weren't there."

Marcelene softened again at that, then continued the interview. "That's pretty impressive. I suppose the Capitol technology could be pretty useful to you, then?"

"Oh, yes! The technology here is amazing. One has a lot of cool technology, but the Capitol beats even us. Even I'm impressed by the food dispensers, and the medicine you have here. With the way you can take care of Victors, I'm sure none of you ever have to worry about injury. I suppose that's what makes the Games so exciting to the onlookers," I said, finishing with a chuckle. Viewers probably were living vicariously through the tributes.

"We don't have much risk, you're right. Which does make the Games pretty interesting to view! On the note of the Games - it's a good thing you brought me back on topic, Enigma! - how was your training gone? You got quite the score on the private sessions," Marcelene said, and I was pleased. She was definitely warming up to me, making sure my interview went well. I was certain this exchange would earn me some sponsors.

"I know I did. It seemed surprising, because I did so little during training. In fact, some of the tributes seemed totally perplexed by it. Perhaps the system is just flawed, or maybe I am really that good. The world may never know." That was the one question I wasn't going to explain. I couldn't tell Marcelene how I managed to get such a high score, or it would let the tributes know more about me. I didn't want to avoid it, because it would lessen the sponsors' views of me, but that was a risk I was willing to take. I could prove them wrong another time.

"Well, I think that's about it for our lovely Enigma! Thank you for such a lovely interview, darling, and who knows? We just might see you back in this seat." I got up and left at Marcelene's cue, awed by her praise. She really did pick and choose tributes, and she had chosen me. I knew she wasn't allowed to sponsor people, but I felt like if she could, she would sponsor me.

When I was off-stage, I was greeted by stares from the other tributes. Tiger seemed utterly perplexed, and I figured it was about the schizophrenia. Most people in my District didn't know that. It wasn't something that came up in casual conversation. Some tributes seemed scared of me now, which was mildly upsetting, while others were laughing at me. I watched them all while the replied, hardly noticing as Tiger walked onto the stage. I needed to know their responses so I knew who to watch out for.

* * *

 **I feel like there should have been a whom in there but I don't know where.**

 **Anyways, I'm now realizing that I've never written a full interview. It's always just a couple lines. But here we are!**


	7. Into the Tubes and Countdown

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

Now I had time to think. I didn't have to train, or strategize for the interviews. I didn't have to think about how I was presenting myself to the other tributes, because only Tiger and Extravagance could see me, and their opinions of me were set in stone. For the few seconds before I had to step into my tube, I was able to think about anything I wanted to. I could think about my emotions. I could think about my future after the Games. I had a slot where I could stop thinking about the Games and think only about me.

I didn't know what to think about.

So I gave up on that idea. Without constantly strategizing I was lost, so I would just keep on doing it. I thought about the most likely and least likely Arenas. I thought about the likely and unlikely mutts. I thought about the other tributes' strategies and how they would work compared to mine. I didn't think about how dangerous the Games were; I thought about how to minimize that danger.

I figured a lot of tributes cried before they got into their tubes, or second-guessed themselves. I probably should have doubted myself, but I wasn't that type of person. I didn't have the mindset to doubt myself. Instead, I got into the tube with a totally straight face. Tiger was trying to look fierce. I wasn't for that life. I was calculating everything out, so my face didn't have to show anything. Tiger was being emotional, I was being calculating. I probably looked like I was trying to be cold, but I didn't care about my expression. I cared about the arena.

Extravagance wished me well. I acknowledged it, hardly thinking about anything. I was trying to decide how to survive in an outside Arena. That was the place where I lacked skills. Tiger glared at me, and I didn't acknowledge it. I was thinking about his weaknesses and how to kill him, since he was so much bigger than I was. The tube began to rise, and I could actually be bothered to notice it. That was the thing that would matter.

After the tube rose, which I assumed would be a couple of seconds, I would have sixty seconds to do what I did best. I got myself in a good position, bending my knees slightly so I could turn around quickly. I could get a quick glance, then a slower one, and still have time to look at the Cornucopia. I made a quick checklist of everything that I would need to know when I scanned. I needed to know where to go. I needed to know where supplies were. I needed to know where the Careers were headed...

Finally, the Arena came into view. I realized quickly that all my worries were for naught. We were inside a building, and I assumed it was huge. The room we were in looked like a lobby, with a desk full of brochures and pamphlets in front of us. Behind the desk, which made a full square, was the Cornucopia. It was full of both food and weapons, thankfully. To either side of the desk there were staircases, carved out of marble and wood, much like the floor was. The stairs had lovely wooden banisters, and I considered how easily you could shove someone over those.

To the left of me there were outliers. To the right there were outliers. All the Careers were across the desk from me, which was a huge blessing. Only outer-District kids were between me and the stairs, or the rooms to my left and right. I took a quick note of what the stairs say, realizing that the clock had ticked down to fifteen seconds. _Pre-Dark Days,_ said the staircase to the right. _Present,_ said the staircase to the left. I couldn't imagine what that meant, but I decided to go up the Pre-Dark Days one.

Then the gong ticked.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun...**

 **Finally, we're to the Arena! Spark asked for an inside Arena. Ask and ye shall receive.**

 **I put the into the tubes and countdown together because there's only one tribute and I'm impatient**


	8. BLOODBATH

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

The staircases surrounded the Cornucopia. The Cornucopia was surrounded by desks. Logically speaking, I should have headed straight for the staircases. It would take a long time to get to the Cornucopia and back to the staircase. However, I didn't know what all would be found on the Pre-Dark Days wing, so I had no choice but to grab a thing or two before I left. I darted towards the Cornucopia, easily slipping in between all the other people because I was so small. Nobody seemed to notice me at first, so I had time.

Immediately ahead of me there was a sword. That meant I had to dodge to the side, since Tiger would go straight for it. I ducked to the right, grabbing whatever my hands hit as I ran. I heard somebody on my trail, so I threw something at them. It wouldn't stop them, but the shuriken it ended up being would slow them down. I knew that when I heard a sharp yell from behind me. I didn't have time to see who I had hit, since Tiger had reached the sword. I had to book it out of there.

Running in a zigzag, just because I knew it would confuse the heck out of Tiger, I reached the stairs. I risked a quick glance over the desk to see Tiger jumping over it. I bolted up the stairs as quickly as I could. As well as I could tell what Tiger was going to do next, the idiot was so predictable, I couldn't handle him in hand-to-hand combat. I slipped up the staircase and into the first door I noticed, looking around desperately for a place to hide and take inventory.

Much to my surprise, I was transported into a whole new world when I went into the door. Each wall was covered with art, and the floor had statues on it. I saw beds and cars in the other rooms, all of which could be seen from where I was. I ducked into another room and another, weaving myself deep into the maze of rooms that was the Pre-Dark Days wing. Finally, it clicked that I was in a room full of things from... before the Dark Days.

Once I had ran through so many rooms that I had no idea where I was in the wing, I stopped for a second and listened. I had counted six cannons, but that was less important than the silence. Behind me I didn't hear any footsteps, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I walked around the halls silently, listening every so carefully for any footstep. Until the Careers were dead, every footstep was one of them. I had to find shelter.

Now that I was walking, I could look at what was in my hands. I had a pack, a can of soup, and a knife. The pack had another knife in it, a blanket, and a loaf of bread. That wasn't too great of a haul, but I wasn't too worried. Either there was food in the Arena, in which case I would find it, or there wasn't, in which case every tribute was screwed in their own way. The Capitol wouldn't let us all starve, so I'd find something.

I found my way to a room titled "The Victorian Era (1837-1901)." I wandered into it, seeing a bunch of paintings of ladies in beautiful dresses and men in dapper tuxes. They looked like nothing I had ever seen. They weren't gaudy, like the Capitol. They were gorgeous. There were also random bowls of fruit and stuff, but the thing I found most interesting was the little room protected by a velvet rope. It seemed to be a bedroom, and I was loving the decorations.

The bed was a beautiful four-poster, with a velvet cover draped between the posts. The blanket was a beautiful comforter, and the mattress seemed even better than what I had at home. The walls were covered in mirrors, and there was a bowl of fruit by the bed. There was a bathroom off to the side of the room, which meant I had everything I needed: Food and water. I didn't need shelter in an Arena as nice as this one.

For one dangerous second, I was tempted to lie on the bed. Luckily, I caught myself. The bed was beautifully, impeccably made. I wouldn't be able to set it back up that nicely. Instead, I put my stuff underneath the bed, then crawled under. It was barely big enough to fit me, so nobody bigger than I was would be able to get in. I wasn't in too good of a place to defend myself, but with any luck, I just wouldn't be found.

I could practically feel my District booing me while I hid under the bed. I didn't get any sponsor gifts, which wasn't totally unusual, but some Careers got them immediately. I double-checked that nobody else was near the room, then I grabbed a mirror off the wall. There wasn't a layer of dust around it, so you couldn't tell where it had once been. Once I saw that, I grabbed another mirror, and another, setting them all up around the room. One mirror was pointed at the bed. Another was pointed at one entrance. Another was pointed at the other. I set up every mirror to point to the bed. Through any mirror you could, in theory, see me, but nobody would be checking. I, however, would be checking, and I could see anyone through a mirror. It was perfect. At this rate, I wouldn't even need the sponsors I had vied so desperately for.

* * *

 **Story time! I originally didn't intend for the mirrors to be useful, but whatever. I had to get a quick lesson from my dad about whether or not this would work, and apparently it would!**


	9. Night in the Arena

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I didn't know how long the Gamemakers would let me stay in one spot. Nobody bothered me in my room for a while, but I knew it wouldn't last. That had been one of the things I had scanned the Gamemakers for: Patience. I felt like I had a day, maybe two, before I would be forced to move. I intended to take just one day, so I would be able to take a slight risk and avoid any extreme danger the Gamemakers could throw at me. The Games were just a strategy, and I was making a strategic move.

My plans were interrupted by a simple thing, that being boredom. As much as I knew the importance of not moving, it was hard to do that. I wanted to fidget a little, make sure I stayed as fit as I was. I wanted to walk around and explore this beautiful Arena, with all the gorgeous dresses and fancy artwork. I wanted to go on a hunt and get rid of some of the remaining tributes. There were eighteen in total, which meant twelve other than the Careers. I wanted to do anything other than lay underneath a bed, but I couldn't let myself get up.

Little by little, I could feel the boredom overpowering me. I started to fidget, and I started to wriggle. Finally, I had to admit that moving wouldn't be my worst idea. If I was fidgeting, I was noticeable. If I got up, did something, and hid, I would be still again. Checking the mirrors one last time, I shimmied out from under the bed and ran to the bathroom as quietly as I could. I quickly relieved myself, then washed my hands, deciding what to do with myself after that.

I took a drink from the faucet, knowing how dehydrated I had to be. I had been sitting under the bed for long, painful hours, and I didn't drink anything. I let myself drink for a long time, watching the mirror while I drank so nobody could sneak up on me. Then, I decided to take the plunge. Walking over to the fruit bowl by the bed, I picked up an apple. Then, I reached up to it and took a bite. It was real, much to my relief. I ate it all, knowing I couldn't afford to leave any behind. I even ate the core.

Then my break was over. I had spent a long time out from under the bed, and I knew it had been unwise. I should have set myself a specific time limit. Still, the past was in the past. I went under the bed again, pretending I wasn't anxious about what I had done. People could have _seen_ me. People could have gotten notes about me. It was crazy unlikely that anyone other than the Careers was worried about me, but it was still possible.

Lurking under the bed, I learned that the Careers didn't have to be the worst of my worries. I heard a rumbling in the hall, far louder than what a human could make. The rumbling got louder and louder, and I realized that I had to get out from under my bed. It was an obstacle if I was attacked. I checked the mirrors one last time, only to see a huge, four-legged beast coming towards my room. I knew it was a bear after a second of considering. Then I sprinted.

 _Frick I cannot fight a bear who can fight a bear?_ I knew good and well that there was no point in fighting. I dropped everything I had and sprinted out of the room. The bear followed me, but it seemed only mildly interested. I could only hope it would lose interest. It batted me once, leaving a huge gash across my side, but I knew it could have hit me harder. I was grateful it was playing with me. That could just let me get away.

I reached the staircase and sprinted down it. When choosing between the Careers and a bear, I chose the Careers. I figured they wouldn't be willing to attack me when a whole bear was following me, and it was a risk I absolutely had to take. I was looking around for any place I could hide, anywhere at all. I ran from room to room again, slowing down more and more as I kept bleeding, until I saw an absolute godsend.

There was a bathroom. I ran into it, panting desperately, and locked myself in a stall. I hoped and prayed that the doors were strong enough to hold off the bear, then took the toilet paper out of its container. I pulled off half the nasty stuff, then wrapped it around my side. It wouldn't do much, but it just might keep me alive, and that was all I was looking for.

* * *

 **In the Victorian era, taxidermy was big. Bears were also big. Ta-da!**

 **This wasn't part of the original plan, but how much chaos will this cause?**


	10. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

 _I am going to kill myself right now. Just take off the toilet paper and out I'll bleed. It would get him to_ shut up! Super Star was outside the bathroom, knocking on the door over and over again. I was absolutely not having it. He was ticking me off, yelling out taunts. I wanted to jump outside and kill him, but the worst part was, his taunts were true. He just kept yelling out that I couldn't fight him, and I couldn't. At least, in a fair fight. The kid was an adult, and I was half his size. All I could do was hope he lost interest.

 _Or make it not a fair fight._ Super yelled out another taunt, "Come on, Enigma! I thought you were a genius. Can't even take out some outer District kid? Get out here and show me what you've got, you coward!" I listened. I could follow his goading. He just really wouldn't like it.

First, I smashed the beautiful, full-sized mirror on the wall. It hurt me to do it, but I had to. I wrapped my hand in another thick layer of toilet paper and used my shirt as a tourniquet around my waste, ditching the old one. Then I stomped the glass a couple of times. It made a bunch of tiny shards and almost became a powder. I picked it up and put it on the sink. After that, I grabbed onto the top of a toilet and threw _that_ on the ground. That one I also smashed a bunch, but I left it in front of the door. Super hadn't come into the girl's bathroom yet, but I didn't doubt that he would.

I picked up one shard of toilet glass in one hand, sweeping the mirror dust off the sink and into my free hand. Then I yelled out the door, "Shouldn't a little girl stand a fighting chance? At least let me out of the bathroom!" I knew Super was cocky. He had done nothing but flirt and tick people off during his whole time in the Arena. "Make it a fair fight," I said, knowing he would take the bait. And he did. I heard him step away from the door, and I walked out of the bathroom.

Super ran toward me. I reached my hand up to my mouth and blew. A cloud of glass particles flew toward him, getting in his eyes and face. I knew they wouldn't come out easily and, most importantly, they would slow him down. Super didn't know how to fight, so they entirely stopped him. I stabbed him with my glass, then threw him into the bathroom, where he landed on more glass. He yelled in pain, still rubbing his eyes, and I knew I had to milk my momentary advantage for all I had. Even Super wouldn't fall for a trick like this twice, and he had to die for me to live.

I dropped to my knees, using the fall to get some extra force for my jury-rigged blade. It went right through Star, and he gasped. I didn't let him catch his breath before I stabbed him again, then again, then again. There was blood all over the blade and my hands, but I didn't stop stabbing until his cannon fired. I wasn't about to risk letting him get back up and have a fighting chance. I was going to win the Games, even if I had to stab him thirty times.

When I stood up, I looked at my work. First, I took Star's shirt. I didn't like being shirtless. Then I washed my hands. The blood wouldn't come out of the shirt, and it wouldn't totally leave my hands. They were actually stained. I tried to pretend I was shaking from pure adrenaline, from the rush of the kill, but I knew that wasn't in. When I was in the stall, I had thought I was dead. When I opened the door, I wasn't sure I was going to win. I was up against somebody twice my size. I should have died. But I was still alive.

Before I could leave the bathroom, I had to use it. I was surprised I hadn't peed my pants. Super should have won. The thought wouldn't stop echoing in my mind. I knew I didn't really stand a chance. In words, I could destroy Tiger. I even know how he was most likely to attack me. What did that really mean, though? He could just keep coming. I could avoid him, but if I couldn't kill him, I couldn't win. He would find a way to kill me. I was just a sitting duck.

I sat in the bathroom for a long time, washing my hands and trying to gather myself. I knew I would have to leave at some point, but I had caused a lot of excitement. The Gamemakers wouldn't come after me anytime soon. And I really had to gather myself. Some tears trickled down my face when I looked again at my handiwork. I had been so terrified that Super would take me out. I had kept my cool and gotten the job done, but it was scary. Instead, I did everything he could have done to me, and I did it worse. He could have killed me with one stab, but not only did I kill him, I killed him slowly and painfully. I was no better than the bear I had fled.

* * *

 **You know, I don't always have an ask and ye shall receive motto, actually. But, I do rarely back down from a challenge, and Platrium challenged me to kill Super Star interestingly so... Ask and ye shall receive.**


	11. A Puzzling Girl for the Puzzle Girl

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

Finally having gathered myself to my heart's content, I left the bathroom. There was too much fuss there for me to stay; a cannon had fired in it and there had been a lot of commotion in the fight. I had to move somewhere, but I didn't know where. I hardly knew where I was after my mad dash from the undead bear. But, with no destination in mind, it didn't matter which route I took. It only mattered that I took a route, which wasn't really a struggle once I thought of it that way. I did something new to myself. I was spontaneous.

I had to decide if I should go left or right. I played eenie-meenie-miney-moe. I had to decide whether to stay downstairs or go upstairs. I stayed downstairs because it was pretty. I had to decide if I should go to the section labelled "Pre-historic times" or "Earlier Pre-Dark Days times." I chose even, then counted the letters. "Pre-historic" had an even amount, if you counted the dash, so I went there. My decisions seemed to be neither good nor bad, so I let them happen that way. Then one broke the pattern.

A large, reptilian-looking creature was stuffed in the room ahead of me. There was a similar-looking skeleton, except it didn't have flesh. It did, however, have claws, and I prayed that it wouldn't come to life. More pressingly, though, there was something already alive in the room with me. On top of the stuffed creature was a girl. I had no idea how she could have possibly dragged herself up there, but I could see why. Blood was dripping from the animal. If she had been attacked, one way to get away would be climbing the impossible.

"Hello?" I called out to the girl. She started, then looked down at me. I remembered that I was a Career; I walked quietly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," I said to the quiet girl who was looking for revenge. She had that look to her that said that she wasn't going down without a fight. I would be surprised if she went down at all.

"It's okay. Just _don't_ come up here. I have one of the claws from this thing, and I'm not afraid to use it!" the girl yelled down to me. I believed her. Her voice didn't tremble, I could see the claw, and she spoke with a passion and power I rarely heard. She was dropping every sign there was that she was a fighter. That meant she could make a good ally.

"All right. I'm not going to hurt you or anything," I said, sitting down on the ground. The girl nodded when I did that, so I continued. "I'm Enigma Fenn. I'm kinda a Career, but not really. I'm too young to really do much." I realized that lying about my strength was probably a good idea here. I was easily underestimated, and this girl wasn't someone I wanted on my bad side just yet.

"Go away. I don't want anything to do with Careers," the girl yelled, glaring at me with a new rage. My guess had been correct. The dripping blood on the animal and on her shirt had come from a Career-induced wound. That meant the girl was just what I needed.

"Oh, don't worry! I'm not in the Pack or anything. They wouldn't take me. Fancy that, huh? So I'm pretty mad at them. I'd love a chance to take them down," I said, pretending I wanted revenge on the Careers just like she did. I wanted them taken down just because they were competitors, but everything I had in common with the girl was a reason she might be interested in allying with me.

"Why should I believe you?"

"If I was a Career, would I have listened to your threat about the claw?" I said, not moving an inch. She was taking the bait, little by little. I wasn't going to lose her now.

"Come up here and we can keep talking," the girl said, seeming to approve of me. "I'm Heidi, by the way. Heidi Heidi."

I looked at the animal for a long time, trying to figure out how on Earth Heidi had climbed it. Then I saw some tears in the fabric, and it clicked. I stuck my hand into the hole she had ripped using a claw from the other corpse, then into the next, then the next. I had a makeshift ladder to help me up, and it took me so long to climb it that I could have easily been killed. It was a beautiful defense system.

"Nice to meet you, Heidi! What's up between _you_ and the Careers?" I asked, feigning more stupidity than I thought was believable. Heidi eyed me suspiciously, then replied.

"They're the ones that stabbed me in the stomach and left me for dead. A fatal underestimation," Heidi said, seemingly very proud of herself. I nodded. _Strengths: Never gives up. Weaknesses: Honestly believes she can fight a Career,_ I noted to myself. "Anyways, I know exactly where there are now, and I will not die until they do. Are you in?"

"Well, I don't know the plan yet, but probably. Do you have any more of those claws?" I was without any weapon except the shattered glass I had left in the bathroom, which was a gross place to be.

"Well, here's the thing: None of the Careers are dead yet. However, nobody will expect us to attack them. Here, take a claw," Heidi said, absentmindedly shoving a claw at me while continuing her plan. "If we run in, we can probably kill one of them together and then run back out. We're both tiny, so we'll be hard to hit. Like I asked earlier, are you in?" Heidi had leaned in while she spoke, and she was now staring at me eagerly.

"Yeah, of course! They'll regret not taking me in," I said, nodding along eagerly. I was lying like a rug. That was an idiotic plan. But I would know where the Careers were, and I just might kill two birds with one stone.


	12. Choices

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

"They're just under the desk still. Really, I don't know how you missed them when you were running downstairs," Heidi explained to me after I had told her about my mad dash from the bear. I needed her to think I was weak, so I may have embellished a part or two about some extra crying, and I may have left out a part or two about killing Super. She didn't need to know that I could really fight. She thought I was somebody the Careers could easily kill while I helped her take one of them out, and she could keep thinking that.

"I was in a bit of a rush," I said, jokingly sassing her. She liked this fake personality of mine, and I intended to keep it up. I was dumb, innocent, and just some kiddo around her. She was going to get herself killed and a Career injured. I could lose my pride for that.

"Yeah, whatever. Look, we're pretty close to them, so we need to make a plan right now. Then we can attack. I say you go in first, since they won't really take the bait with me. You tried to join them, right? Anyways, you go in first. I'll follow behind, and when you run, I'll jump in and kill whoever's on your tail. Sound good?" Heidi asked, pretending that she wasn't sticking me with the worse job. I might be slow, or she might ditch me. There was a good chance she was trying to kill me. But I nodded. I was supposed to be dumb.

"Sure! But are you sure you want to be the one fighting them? I mean, it sounds pretty dangerous. And they might fight _hard._ There's only fourteen of us left," I said, referencing the last three cannons we heard. I couldn't believe she wasn't still suspicious of me, but I did a fake look of wide-eyed innocence, and I could see she was totally falling for it. Or she was a far better actress than I was.

"Oh, yes! I'm willing to take the risk, because it's my plan. That's only fair," Heidi said proudly, holding herself taller. As if it looked like I needed more convincing. It was hard for me to keep smiling, but I did. I kept myself looking like a total idiot.

"If you're sure. We could get going right now, I guess," I said, beginning to climb down from the dinosaur. We weren't too far from the Careers, so it wouldn't take us long to reach them. We would really have to be on our guards, though, because they could be on the hunt, and all we had for weapons was four-inch claws. It was something, but it wasn't much.

"Okay! Remember, you'll have to run really fast, or the Careers might catch you," Heidi said condescendingly. I tried not to sigh while she followed me, instead looking around at all of the cool things around us. There were more huge reptile things, some weird looking mammals, and a giant stuffed bird-looking thing. It was all pretty interesting, but I didn't know why it existed, or why the Capitol could be bothered to spend this much money on an Arena. _Definitely going to be a tourist attraction._

I stopped dead in my tracks, and the giant footsteps on the floor, when I noticed a small door nearby us. It was a thick, wooden door, and it was wide open, despite there being glass up half its height. It led to a large, dark cave, with the only light seeming to come from the entrance I was standing in. I couldn't imagine why there was a wooden door to a cave, but I wasn't too worried about that. I was more interested in the small, disheveled boy who was sleeping facing the door, apparently asleep while trying to guard his cave. He had some supplies, including actual bandages, which I was quite interested in.

"What if we get some more bait?" I asked Heidi. It wouldn't be too hard to convince the kid to ally with us, I figured. He looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in a while, something an alliance could fix for him. We could also threaten to kill him if he didn't help us, so we were pretty safe.

"Sure! Why don't you go in there and talk to him?" Heidi replied, and I nodded, jumping the glass barrier easily. Inside the cave there were some stick paintings and simple drawings, as well as basic rock stones that didn't look very sharp. I noted that the boy had one of those and decided not to get to close.

"Hey! Get up," I whispered to the boy, to no avail. He didn't wake up or even shift. I didn't want to get any closer to a probably easily spooked child, even though I could likely fight better than he could. It wasn't worth the risk. Instead, I grabbed onto a rock and threw it at him. When he didn't shift, I threw another, then another. Finally, he shifted, either because of the thrown rocks or because he had rolled over onto pebbles. Then he woke up and screamed.

"Who are you? Get out," he yelled, picking up his small, sharpened rock. I took a quick step back and put my hands up.

"I'm Enigma Fenn. I'm looking for an ally," I said, trying to look honestly scared. I was mildly worried, yes, but most tributes would be suspicious if they noticed that it was only mild. "I already have one, but we could always use more. Safety in numbers, you know?" I kept my voice low and calm, hunching over so I didn't look like a threat. I could tell that it was working by the kid's face, and it was confirmed when he let his weapon drop to his side.

"I'm Six," the boy replied. "I don't like to talk about that. You're really looking for allies? Do you have any food?"

"Not on us, but I know where we can find some. More importantly, though, we have a plan to take down the Careers. Wanna help us out? It'll be hard with only two of us," I said, trying to draw the boy in. I stood up now that he wasn't afraid anymore, and he nodded.

"Sure! That'd be great. What do we need to do?"

"All right. You and I are going to get the Careers to attack us, then Heidi back there is going to fight them for us. Easy as that! Makes sense, doesn't it?" I asked, rolling my eyes to the boy. He knew it was a dumb plan. I knew it was a dumb plan. But both of us were smart enough not to let Heidi know that, and I could see that he could actually be a valuable ally.

"Of course! Let's go take them down. Here, you can use my bandages. You've bled through your shirt," Six said, handing me the bandages. I took off my shirt and put them on, far past the point of caring that people were seeing my young body. I just didn't want to die.

Then we were off. I had to jump out of the cave, and I noticed that Six did, too. Then we walked through the Arena, Heidi with a purpose, Six and I just looking around us. I wanted to see everything about the ancient section of the Arena while I could, since there was no way I was going back there with Careers on my trail. I was going to run back upstairs once I was confident I could.

"Here were are," Heidi whispered, crouching down. "Go!"

I walked over to the desk, Six hot on my tail, and made some noise. "Hey Tiger! Get over here and fight like a man! Didn't you say you could take me down earlier? Come at me!" I yelled, hoping Tiger really would come out. He was the physically biggest Career. It would be good if Heidi hurt him before he inevitably killed her.

Sadly, Pumice came out instead. He shrugged when he saw me and took off after me. He definitely knew it was a trap; he wasn't an idiot. I had to assume he just didn't care, since Six and I definitely weren't threats. Just like he definitely expected, we turned tail and ran the second he ran after us. I was faster than Six, which was a definite blessing.

Pumice caught Six easily. I heard a quick gasp then a cannon, and I assumed Six had been stabbed with Pumice's spear. I kept running, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Heidi could hopefully slow down Pumice, but she wouldn't win. She was going to die. That much I had planned for. But I hadn't thought ahead to the point where I would still have to outrun Pumice.

I heard a gasp, and I looked up to see Heidi lunging out from her hiding spot, catching Pumice in the side with her claw. She cut a deep gash in him, and he stabbed her with his spear. It didn't kill her. I doubled back and slid down, attacking him from down low. He didn't block it. He couldn't have expected it. Instead, he let it get deep in him and come back out.

Getting back up, I stabbed Pumice again. He could block one of us at a time with his spear, but then he couldn't attack. He could attack, but then he blocked neither of us. He turned his back on Heidi and went for me, which had to be because I was a Career. Heidi stabbed him in the shoulder, and he turned his spear around and stabbed her in the throat. Just like that, the tides were turned. It was one-on-one, and I was going to lose unless I acted fast.

I jumped for Pumice while his spear was still stuck in Heidi's throat. I could see in his eyes that he understood his mistake, but it was too late. He reached his arm out to stop me, but I grabbed onto it and knocked it down. He was stronger than I was, but not strong enough to stop the inertia of a whole child. He also wasn't strong enough to stop my claw from going into his throat, allowing me to have one more kill under my belt.

When the third cannon fired, I knew I had to go. The Careers would let Pumice handle two outer-District kids, but they definitely wouldn't trust a third cannon. I sprinted for the cave I had been in, realizing that I definitely couldn't go back to the desk and try to make a run for the upstairs. The cave would, at the very least, provide a botteneck against the ten tributes that were left other than me.

 _Only ten to go._


	13. Cannons

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I had to be safe for a while. I had to be able to sit in the cave and chill for a while. I had killed a Career and taken two of my allies down with him; the Capitol couldn't find me boring. I was banking on that. I knew the Gamemakers well enough to know that that was enough excitement for a while, but I didn't know exactly how long that while was. Our Gamemakers were weird. They sent a bear after me once, not long into the Games at all.. I was never going to drop my guard.

Except for a small break. For a couple of minutes, I stayed in my cave, hoping all of the Careers would be too dumb to find me there. Some of them were dumb, and their leader was definitely Tiger, so it seemed like a safe bet. I lied down all the way in the cave, on my back, looking up at the entrance. That way I could lunge if I had to, but I was practically invisible, which was more important. Hopefully even someone smart wouldn't be able to notice me, and with any luck, they wouldn't notice the cave, either.

Only one small thing put a blip in my plans: A sponsor gift. It contained a knife, which I was very grateful for, and a crown. The crown was a cute touch, but I saw no purpose to it. It was the right size for me, silver and rose gold, designed to look like delicate tendrils spindling above my head. There were some dark red flowers on it, juxtaposing the rest of the coloration nicely and sticking out vividly. I loved them all. I put the crown on carefully, making sure I didn't break it, though I doubted I was capable of it, and smiled.

The roses on the crown lit up, making little beams of red shoot across my cave. I flinched away from the light and hid it for a second, then put the crown back on. It lit up again. I almost had to glare at whoever sent me the gift. I couldn't use the crown. It was just an annoying temptation, there to tick me off since I couldn't wear it. I left it on the ground, unwilling to touch it again, and noticed something out of the ordinary.

Four spiders were crawling out of holes in the wall toward me, and toward the crown. They were about the size of my hand, large enough to be intimidating but not terrifying. They settled around the crown politely, stopping their motion once they reached it, and waited. I couldn't say how I knew for sure - spiders weren't humans, so I couldn't read them like I could most people - but I could tell that they were waiting for something. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe it was an order. Whatever it was, the spiders were waiting for it, and they were expecting it from the crown.

I decided to take a chance. I put the crown on, watching as the spiders watched the crown. There was no reason for them to watch it. They had eight eyes, and yet they followed it with their whole bodies, not just their eyes. I was supposed to be able to tell that they were watching it. The crown lit up, and they shuffled around excitedly, doing what seemed to be a dance. Their legs kept moving around, and while they didn't make any noise, they looked as though they would have been chanting if they were loud creatures. I took a guess.

I stood up. The spiders watched the crown. I sat down. The spiders watched the crown. I walked around the cave. The spiders followed me. As fun as it was to see what the spiders would do, it didn't seem to be useful. Spiders weren't good for much, except the fact that some people didn't like them. They were too slow to bite most people, especially since these were easily visible. _Wow. I wish these spiders could do something, like at least jump._

The spiders jumped. I had to gather myself for a second, considering what they had done. That was impossible. They couldn't have heard my thoughts. _Jump._ I thought again, a command this time. They jumped with a purpose, reaching more than their height vertically. I was amazed. That couldn't be happening. It didn't follow any logic. Why would there be rebellion if the Capitol had mind control? How could this exist?

 _What does that matter?_ It didn't matter. The whys and hows didn't matter at all, I realized. They existed somehow, in some way, just like this spider mind-control thing. Somehow I could mind control these spiders, and that was all I needed to know. I was going to settle for less information than the maximum I could achieve, just because I realized it didn't matter. I didn't need to know everything. I needed to know enough.

 _Just like the spiders don't need to kill people._ They just had to do enough. I left the cave, searching for another tribute. I didn't want to find one of the four Careers that were left. _One boy, Two girl, Four boy, Four girl,_ I reminded myself, keeping count. I wanted to find one of the six non-Careers. I could fight them if my grand plan didn't work, which it probably wouldn't. Most people weren't dumb enough to be stopped by spiders.

It didn't take long for me to see signs of life. I went upstairs, noting that the Careers had to be hunting. A cannon fired, and there were ten. Soon to be nine. I followed a simple trail - opened doors, disturbed carpets, bits and pieces of displays missing. Nothing was perfect, the way the Capitol would have left it. Everything was leading back to my room.

 _I better not have followed myself here._ I sent one spider into the room and heard a scream. Whoever it was definitely didn't like spiders. I could see them from where I was, since I knew where to look in the mirrors. They were distracted by the spider. I ran in and slid under the bed, pretending not to see the spider. "Calm down, calm down! He can't hurt you. The bigger ones hurt less," I said, not knowing whether it was true. It didn't matter. The girl looked at me, and I stabbed her in the throat.

* * *

 **Someone asked for spider mind control. I gave them spider mind control.**


	14. Pre-Dark Days Dark Days

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

Like always, I was hiding. I had snuck off from where I had killed the girl, happy to let the hovercrafts take care of the body. I had to get away from where the cannon had fired. Otherwise, the Careers would find me, which I wasn't quite ready for yet. I had to stay constantly out of their way, seeing as there were still four of them and one of me. One of me and four other non-Careers. I had a fifty percent chance of stumbling upon an outlier next, and a fifty percent chance of stumbling upon a Career. I had to be ready for both while avoiding either.

I wandered around the pre-Dark Days section aimlessly like I had done so many times before. I was intrigued by everything I saw, happy to be away from the creepy giant reptile skeletons. I kept seeing jaw-dropping dresses and art called "Renaissance" paintings. They were realistic and pretty, like everything else in the room. I didn't intend to stay there. It looked nice. Careers would check nice places. I needed an average place, one that didn't stick out at all.

 _Pre-Dark Days Dark Days,_ a label read on top of a doorframe. I was very much intrigued. What could be so horrendous that the Capitol would consider it a Dark Days before the Dark Days? What could possibly beat the time of war so bad that we had the Hunger Games to punish it? And how could humanity and civilization survive past something so awful?

A small note below the title read _"Though not as bad as the Dark Days, this time frame is considered the worst known to humanity before the Dark Days of the Capitol."_ I was relieved to see that, but still, I was nervous while I stepped through the doors into the section. I didn't know what I could see beyond them. I wasn't sure how hard it would be to handle. It definitely wouldn't be average, but it might just scare tributes away.

The first sight I saw hardly surprised me. Barbed-wire fences, supposed electric, stuck into the sky, reaching almost to the ceiling of the building. Dark, dull military barracks were painted onto the walls, made to look as though I was confined within them in some places. Piles of striped clothing were left on the ground, along with suitcases full of lost belongings. Names were painted on them. _Abraham Bankier. Joseph Bau. Moshe Bejski._ They were some of the weirdest names I saw, but I understood the meaning behind them. They were people's belongings left behind when the people died. If the people lived, it wouldn't be the Dark Days.

The next sight I saw made me gag. In a room inside the larger room, there was hair. It had a label that I could hardly read. The hair there overwhelmed me. There was more hair than there was me. The label said it was seven tons of hair stolen from prisoners, prisoners that had been tortured, starved, and forgotten. I believed that it was seven tons of hair. I believed that it was stolen from prisoners. I even believed that humans could be that awful. I just wished that I couldn't believe all of that.

I wanted to get out of there. I also knew I shouldn't. No tribute would last long mentally in a room where pictures of starving people hung on the wall, their eyes sunken into their heads. No tribute would last long near so much human hair that someone could drown in it. I probably wouldn't last long, already near tears at the horror of what I saw. I would try, though. I would abuse someone else's history to get myself a future.

Still, I wasn't going to stay in the hair room. I walked right out of there, not intending to ever return. I walked into a section that said " _Fighting tactics of the war,"_ wanting to see what was held. Maybe some weapons were in there. They would be outdated and rusty, but they would be better than the knife and weird crown I had. Anything would be better than the near nothing I had.

I saw what I was looking for right away. It was a gun, sitting near a string of bullets. It was huge. It was covered in glass. The glass was easily shatterable, though, and I shattered it, trying to get as little glass as possible in my skin. I picked up the old, corroded bullets and wrapped them around my waist, then dragged the gun behind me. I couldn't easily pick it up. It seemed to weight more than I did. So I took the risk of dragging it behind me, making noise in order to get the best weapon the Games had to offer.

Once I had a weapon, I went back into the danger zone. I closed my eyes tightly, not looking at anything on the walls. I didn't even look at the floor. I walked right into a wall, ducked around it, then kept walking. I didn't need to see anything. I didn't need to be reminded of horrors that beat everything I had been told about the Dark Days. That was just a war. This was torture.

Finally, I found myself in a room. It was simple. It had grey walls, old and nasty, but plain. It had showerheads, also old and nasty, but nothing to be afraid of. There was a door that I closed behind me, locking myself into the room. There was only one entrance, and I could watch it like a hawk. It seemed to be the only place in the entire section that wasn't enough to make people vomit. Still, I didn't read the label on the wall. I didn't want to know what it would say.

It seemed like I was in a safe room, so I pretended I didn't notice the claw marks on the walls.

* * *

 **Someone asked for a machine gun for Enigma, and I delivered. I also delivered in a horrifying, awful way, but yesterday WAS Holocaust remembrance day...**

 **RIP Enigma's innocence**


	15. Maybe Death?

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I didn't do much for a while. I couldn't see how many days had gone by, nor could I even tell what time of day it was. The shower room was that closed off from the world, hardly any electric light and absolutely no windows. It was boring as all-get-out, but all I could do was hope and pray that the Capitol wouldn't mind. There was a chance I could raze down the Careers with my machine gun, but it wasn't a chance I was willing to take. It wasn't much of a chance at all. I was going to take a risk. I was going to be boring.

Little by little, my odds of winning increased, right along with my odds of dying next. The Careers were still hunting. I could hear the cannons firing now and then, signalling eight, then seven, then six kids left. Worst case scenario, it was me, one non-Career, and four Careers. Best, it was me, four non-Careers, and one Career. I hoped for the latter, but I knew it wasn't the case. Maybe one Career had died, if I was lucky. I could pray for two. But three was totally out of the question, and the outliers were dropping like flies.

In theory, the anthem should have been playing every night, but I doubted it. I was far more hungry than one day of not eating would allow, and I had a terrible headache. One day of not drinking couldn't hurt me that much. I figured there was something up with the room I was in, or maybe the anthems weren't being played anymore, but something was definitely up. I was going to have to move at some point, whether or not it had been three days. Thirst would get me before Careers could.

A light from the heavens shined down above me, momentarily blinding me. The sponsor gift I had been sent was blinking, like every sponsor gift, but it seemed magnified by how dark the rest of the room was, what with the nearly-burnt-out lights and closed door. I kept the package, hoping it would stay lit, even though the red light was eerie. However, the gift was more than light. The gift was a weird, pre-packaged meal, with meat and grains and everything, and a 16 ounce bottle of water. I had no idea how long it would last. Humans could last three days without water, but would sixteen ounces reset the timer? How long after the bottle could I live? Should I drink it all at once?

One thing was for sure: It was going to get me through the Games. With six tributes left, five outside of me, the Careers would finish off the last outlier and break pretty soon. The Four boy was unstable, Tiger was just a butthead, and I didn't know much about the Four girl and Two girl. I knew, however, that they were competitive, and they would definitely fight back when the Four dude and Tiger attacked them. It was in their nature to attack and defend as needed, and if they died, it would bring me down to two Careers to kill.

I thought again and again about the possibility that the Capitolites would find me boring. The only thing I had to think about was that and a plan for the Games, which I wasn't up to working on, even with half the food and a quarter of the water. I was just thinking over and over again that, despite my good odds, I would be down for the count if the Capitol decided I was. They could do a lot worse than a bear if they wanted to.

One cannon got me thinking. I would be forced out soon. Two cannons got me moving quickly. It was probably the Career breakup, maybe after they killed the last tribute. Whatever the case, we were in the top four, amazingly enough. I made my way back into the danger zone, trying to avoid the pictures on the way, jumping when I heard a third cannon. The Games were practically done, and I was going to finish them.

I had to move quickly, which was going to be hard to do with the heavy machine gun. I carried the crown with me, even though I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to use it, and slowly dragged myself to the staircase, which the Careers weren't at the bottom of. Yet, at least. I dragged myself down the staircase, still listening for any sign that they were nearby. They didn't come. I was making noise, but they didn't come. Either the Careers weren't the ones left, they were mid-fight, or they were just far-off, but I didn't really care. With only two contenders, it was time to take a chance, even if the chance was insane.

I pulled the machine gun into the Careers' camp, hiding myself the best I could under the desks. With everything around me, I put the crown on, slowly formulating a plan. Spiders. Useless spiders, too small to do any damage. They probably weren't even venomous, but I wasn't worried about that. Everyone hates spiders. They wouldn't stop a Career, but when someone saw spiders totally covering their fort, I knew they would slow them down.

* * *

 **With CTTS &ROTH being my last SYOT (until Mom updates me on her status, cross your fingers!), I now have twice the time to dedicate to this bad boy.**

 **I was going to incorporate the thing from Spider-Man where he goes, "I'm Spider-Man. I'm summoning the spiders," to scare off some baddies, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it (seeing as Tiger and company would totally just behead her before she had time...)**


	16. Finale

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

I couldn't look up to see whether anyone was coming. I was playing by ear, because if I stuck my head out to check for people, the bright lights would alert both of the other tributes where I was. Spiders crawled over me and over the desks, making a huge swarm. Some of them even laid eggs. It was almost disgusting, but it was what I needed to happen. I was playing a waiting game, and I could wait almost indefinitely. I hoped I wouldn't have to, but I was hunkered down and ready to if the need arose.

Luckily, the need to wait that long didn't arise. I was crouched down, ready to begin firing the second I heard something. Sure enough, something was heard. Whoever saw the massive amount of spiders gasped loudly. Their ally, meaning it was probably a Career, gasped too, although much more quietly. I jumped up and pointed the gun in one swift movement, firing as rapidly as I could figure out how to. It didn't really matter. The gun controlled itself, and even if it didn't, even Careers couldn't outrun bullets.

Eight bullets and one cannon fired. I had loaded easily a hundred bullets into the gun, but it made perfect sense that not all of them fired. The bullets were old and rusty, and the gun was older than Panem. It couldn't be in great condition. I was lucky that it fired at all. I would have preferred a stroke of luck that could kill both of my opponents, but one was better than none. It halved the field.

I saw the Four boy fall, and I saw Tiger begin to run at me. I wasn't going to give him a chance to make it. I told my spiders to all run at him, full speed ahead. They wouldn't stop him, but the sheer amount would certainly slow me down. I couldn't flee forever, but I could get pretty far away. I could get far enough away to actually have a fighting chance again. I couldn't win in hand-to-hand combat, so I would get back the element of surprise.

The situation wasn't totally readable. I didn't know if Tiger would chase after me, track me, or wait for me to be flushed to him. He was most likely to do the first, but I had never seen someone react to being attacked by spiders in a fight to the death before. I didn't have enough data to make a totally informed decision, so I was stuck guessing. I hated guessing, but it was better than nothing. I guessed the most likely outcome and wove my way through the halls, making it hard to spot me.

Footsteps followed behind me as I ran. They were far enough away that I knew I had a chance to escape, and I ran back to where I had last hidden. The Pre-Dark Days Dark Days section had a lot of places to hide. I was going to manipulate all of them. I wouldn't have much time to plan, having to hide from Tiger, who was only a couple of rooms behind me, but I had to hope it would be enough. I was only going to have one shot, and I was lucky to even have that.

When I hit the fateful section, I grabbed onto one of the fences. As I had suspected, it was only for decoration. It came off the wall once I put my full weight against it, section by section. I threw it in the doorway, knowing it wouldn't stop Tiger. It would just slow him down, buying me a little bit more of the precious time I needed. I also hoped it would hurt him, but I probably wasn't going to be that lucky. He was smart enough to avoid barbed wire.

I closed every door I could. I messed things up everywhere. I had to be untrackable. I had to attack him before he knew what was happening. Each door I locked was one more he'd have to check. Each thing I threw in the halls was one more warning system I had. I was pulling out every single dirty trick I could think of, praying for a good shot at my enemy and stalling my actions. I knew good and well where the best to hide was, and I didn't want to admit it. So I was stalling, putting my effort into other things.

The sound of the fence clattering made me stop. I ran to my chosen hiding spot, opening the door and hiding. I was covered in human hair. I would blend right in, using the corpses and sufferings of other people to extend my life. I was still near vomiting, and I felt horrible about it, but I was desperate. I was a desperate kiddo, trying whatever I could think of to buy myself a chance again a guy twice my size. It was all I could do.

It took Tiger a while to check my section. Something must have led him there, or he never would have thought to try it. What sort of psychopath would willingly hide in hair? But Tiger was looking for me, and he had found my spot. It was chance that had allowed me to hide, pure chance that I had both of my weapons on me, and chance that could let me win the fight. I liked analyzing things. I liked finding certainties. But my life depended on chance.

As soon as Tiger was in reach, I stabbed him in the foot with my claw. He jumped back, and I jumped up. He was holding a knife quite similar to mine. I was still wearing my crown, ready to call more spiders to attack him. He closed the door behind himself, ensuring that I couldn't. He was getting smarter, which meant I would have to fight twice as hard to take him down. I took the first chance I got.

Tiger turned to close the door. I couldn't kill him in that instant; he wasn't anywhere near me. I dove back into the hair, forcing Tiger to find me again. He was smart about it, moving bits and pieces until he came to my spot, when I stabbed him in the other foot. The claw didn't go totally in, and it wouldn't do too much damage, but it would certainly slow him down.

I jumped up again, already in close range to Tiger, and dragged the claw up. It cut him lightly, and he shoved me backwards, back into the hair. The hair cushioned my fall, but Tiger didn't allow the relief to last. He tried to drop down on top of me and kill me. I let him fall, seeing right through all his tells. Once he was mid-fall, I threw one arm over my neck, stopping his killing blow. I put the other arm straight up, watching it pierce his stomach. The entire knife went into him, as well as a chunk of my hand. His cannon fired as his guts fell out, his remains mingling with others'.

I couldn't defeat a man twice my size, but he sure could defeat himself.

* * *

 **We couldn't well just have her raze down the competition, could we? This is probably one of my most morbid, gross finales, but hey, it sure was powerful. Shout-out to Enigma for using her opponent's stupidity, and shout-out to Tiger for being a complete idiot.**


	17. Coronation

**Enigma Fenn (13) D1F**

The Capitol knocked me out. I wouldn't have known for sure, since they did it without telling me. I only knew because I woke up, and I sure as heck didn't faint in the Arena. I was hardly damaged at all during the fight. I was the force to be reckoned with, taking the title away from Tiger. I was the warrior, the fighter, and the hunted turned into the hunter. There was no need for the Capitol to knock me out.

Extravagance Eleanor greeted me when I woke up, nodding in acceptance of me. She was nice, nicer than Satin, but it was still exciting to see her approval. She seemed to be waiting for me to talk, but that was going to be a problem. I was waiting for her to talk. "You didn't disappoint," she finally said to me. "Even Satin would be proud of someone fighting that hard to win." I wasn't sure how much of that praise was sincere. Satin wasn't really someone to look up to. Extravagance looked sincere, though, so I decided to take it.

"It was really a fight, wasn't it? I was so scared," I said quietly, as much to myself as to my mentor. That was something the Arena certainly taught me: How to feel. I had gone from totally analytically to somewhat emotional, maybe even to the extent of a normal person. I didn't know what to do with that, but it was good to know.

"Well, now I have another mentor! I'll get two years off. Do you want to see how you look?" Extravagance asked me, and I remembered that important detail about being a Victor. Victors never looked the same as they started. That was probably why the Capitol put me under.

"Yeah, I do," I replied nervously, taking the mirror Extravagance offered me. My hands weren't shaking like I heard some people's did. My appearance didn't matter too much; I was still growing into my body. I just wanted to see what was new, and I was praying it wasn't too much. I wanted to be recognizable by my parents. That was all I hoped for.

I gasped when I saw my reflection. My blue eyes were a little bit icier, my skin a bit paler. I didn't know about my height just yet, but I knew that some people did change heights. But what scared me the most was my hair. It was long now, reaching down to my mid-back. It had been chin-length before. It wasn't just black anymore, either. It was multiple shades, mixed together, almost like more than one person's hair was in there. The Capitol had made me memorable. The Capitol had forced me to remember my biggest regret forever.

"Give me scissors," I demanded. Extravagance looked at me, obviously worried about me. I wasn't going to commit suicide. I was going to get scissors. When she hesitated, I spoke again, more sternly. "Give me scissors." She shrugged and handed them to me, and I immediately took them to my hair. Some people got bigger boobs. That wasn't an easy fix. Some people got longer legs. They were stuck. I got longer hair, but that wasn't sticking around.

I cut all the hair off into a delicate pixie cut, settling for that instead of a buzz. I wasn't going to deal with long hair. The Capitol didn't own me.

* * *

"Welcome to the stage our newest Victor, Enigma Fenn! Enigma, how are you doing today?" Marcelene asked me, sitting in sleek black jumpsuit. I was wearing a red dress, like _that_ wasn't dripping in symbolism. I wasn't really looking forward to the interviews or the re-caps, and I didn't want to see what Ginger had to say about my short hair, but I was ready to power through it and get home.

"I'm so excited to be able to see the Capitol again! It's an honor to have won the Games," I replied politely while I sat down, waiting for Marcelene to continue. She was interested in me; she probably thought of me as a puzzle. I was a child. I was a killer. I was polite. I hid in corpses in order to win. I wasn't anywhere near normal.

"What was your favorite part of the Games?" Marcelene asked me the same question she asked everyone. Nobody had a favorite part. It was terror all the way through.

"I'd have to say my time lurking in the fancy olden days section. Everything was so pretty!" I said, smiling brightly, pretending I hadn't spent the whole time hiding under a bed. I had seen bits and pieces of it, and I appreciated them, but it was hard to get their full value when I was hoping nobody found me.

"I think that's enough of an interview for now; you're obviously itching to see the recaps!" Marcelene said, showing me mercy. The recaps turned on on the screen, showing bits and pieces of the Games. They showed me fleeing from the Bloodbath. The recaps showed all the Bloodbath deaths, Tiger ripping so many people apart. They showed the little girl's terror when she saw my spiders. They showed Tiger's rage when I killed his ally, when I ran from him, and his rage when I got away. I was glad I hadn't seen that. I would have broken right then and there. Then finally, I stabbed Tiger, and the recaps were done.

Vispasian Ginger walked onto the stage without being announced. She was holding a large, golden crown, a circle with four strings coming up from it, connecting at the top. It had diamonds and fleur-de-lis on it, and it looked just like something out of the Arena, from the Victorian section I had sat in. It was beautiful, and I didn't mind it.

The President put the crown on my head wordlessly, petting the hair and then saying the classic words she had to say. "Congratulations on winning the 22nd Hunger Games," she said curtly, then walked off the stage. It was all she needed to say to let me know that my hair had been seen as an act of rebellion. I didn't mind. It was supposed to be a rebellion.


	18. Epilogue

**Enigma Fenn (13) Victor of the 22nd Games**

When I got back to One after the whole Tour, I was quite a changed girl from when I had gone into the Games. I had learned fear and terror, and had almost peed my pants due to it. I had learned just how hard real plans were to make, and just how easily they could fail if the outside world didn't support them. I thought the Games were going to be a piece of cake. I could get in and get out. But it turned out that they would force anyone who went into them to grow, whether or not they thought they needed it.

One's opinions on me were mixed. Some people were mad that I killed Tiger, while some were mad that I fought dirty. Some just thought it was cool that a thirteen-year-old won, and some respected how much I poured into the Games in order to win. I found a fight and twisted it my way, time after time, and that could be cowardly or brave, depending on your point of view. I didn't care about everyone's response, though, no matter how hard they tried to make me. They weren't in the Arena, making split-second decisions instead of being able to plan. They weren't fighting for their lives. They were judging someone who was just trying to survive.

I wouldn't have cared about One's opinion of me even if I hadn't been judging them twice as hard as they were trying to judge me. I had always stuck to myself before the Games, and I saw no reason for that to change. I didn't have to be some charitable Victor, helping the young and poor. We had other Victors for that, and no one in One needed much help. I could go home and take care of the only people I really cared about, trying to fix whatever problems I had never been able to.

My mom and my sister didn't judge me for the Games. They didn't seem to know anything about them. I expected as much from my mother. She probably never knew I left. My sister, however, must have been actively avoiding the television to not have seen what I went through. It was broadcast everywhere, yet she didn't know about it. Or she was just pretending not to know so I didn't feel bad. Lulia could watch her own tells quite well, well enough to hide her secrets from me. It was a skill few people had.

Life as a Victor wasn't very different for me compared to life before the Games, except a newfound internal dialogue. People talked to me some and I replied some. I still went to school, though I didn't make many friends. I thought sometimes about Tiger, but I tried to avoid it. I was suppressing the thoughts that I should have been getting therapy for. I just didn't want to pay for two types of therapy at once, and I could finally afford the thing I had trained so long in order to achieve.

Every week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Mom went to therapy for her schizophrenia. The Capitol didn't want to fix it entirely, saying it made me stick out, but they'd let me make her less severe, and less severe, until my mom was lucid more often than not. Little by little, I was using one of my goals to achieve another. It made sense.

After all, I was Enigma Fenn. Death itself couldn't hope to stop me.

* * *

 **And here we close another story. Enigma was a fun ride all the way, and now she has her rightful spot in the Victor's Village. You're welcome, Spark.**


End file.
